The present invention relates to the subject matter claimed in the generic part of the patent and consequently concerns itself with surveillance systems.
Surveillance systems for large building complexes such as penal institutions, airports, department stores etc. comprise as a rule a multitude of cameras which supply pictures of different areas and premises in the building, as well as a control station with a multitude of monitors, on which the respective pictures are to be displayed.
It is necessary to link the multitude of image-supplying cameras and the multitude of monitors to each other. Up to now this has required crossbars and the like. The modification of the arrangement in the case of such crossbars is not only inflexible, but rather also typically can be managed only at great expense.
Additionally already known is the provision of a great number of digital cameras for surveillance and also observation of a great number of different places. In this connection however, there is the problem that typically the images flow together on a PC, which in the case of a great number of cameras and the typically high image resolutions desired for surveillance purposes results in a massive network burden or the need for very high bandwidth.
It is desirable to design a surveillance system in such a way that at least some of the mentioned disadvantages are alleviated at least partially.